Welcome to IntrovertEd, a blog for introverted teachers and students. If you've ever cringed at the thought of group work, you've come to the right place.

Welcome!

It's tough to be an introvert in an extrovert world, especially in an extrovert's profession, like teaching. Through this blog, I'd like to share my own and others' reflections on being an introvert in the classroom. This isn't a place for misanthropes or grumps, though; I hope to thoughtfully discuss the challenges that introverts face in schools and celebrate the gifts that introverted teachers and students bring to the educational environment. If you can relate, please join me!

Monday, September 29, 2014

So, I'm a total sucker for recent years' hair color miracle called ombre, in which highlights of color are added to layers underneath rather than on the top of the hair. No roots show, ever! With the baby almost 12 weeks old, I decided to get some pampering and go to the salon for the first time since I had had her. I got some ombre streaks in my favorite color, a dark red. When I curl my mostly dark, dark brown hair, the red provides subtle, shimmery swirls of color.

A few days later as I pushed my cart down the aisle in the grocery store, a woman, after admonishing her kid to "get out of the lady's way," took a closer look at me and my brand-new ombre and said, "Oh, I like your hidden red!"

Thank you, Person in the Grocery Store, for unwittingly creating my favorite new metaphor for introversion! We may be quiet or even dark, but we all have our "hidden red."

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Since my baby was born, I've been reading baby books of course, and The Wonder Weeks (van de Rijt and Plooij, 2013) had this to say in their chapter on week 12 of infant development: "Some babies are very aware of the world around them, and they prefer looking, listening, and experiencing sensations to being physically active themselves" (96). Hm, sounds like baby HSPs (Highly Sensitive Persons, to use Elaine Aaron's term) to me! But the bias is present against even baby introverts: "Most of the time, professionals, as well as friends and family, assess a baby's development by looking at the physical milestones, such as grasping, rolling over, crawling, sitting, standing, and walking. This can give a one-sided view of progress as it makes the 'watch-listen-feel' baby seem slower" (97).

About Me

My name is Diane Scrofano. I'm a full-time English instructor at Moorpark College, in southern CA, and I've previously worked as a high school teacher and a high school librarian. I hold my MA in English from CSUN and my MLIS from UCLA. My BA and English teaching credential are from California Lutheran University. I also hold a Library Media Services credential.